Selapak | Saphan

cambodian visual arts | urban studies | sociology

Selapak - Cambodian Art Space

My research endeavors, broadly speaking, are sociological theories, urbanism development and city planning in Southeast Asia. The case study of my investigations was Phnom Penh. The reinvestment of the city of Phnom Penh, emptied of its inhabitants during the war - the Khmer rouges had a politic against cities and urbanites – is a unique phenomenon. The new inhabitants gradually took over the city. It is only with time that public spaces are again occupied by this new population with a rural background for the majority of them. This acknowledgement of the population background has a real impact on the way of living and experiencing the city nowadays.

I am preparing a second book on popular culture and democracy, specifically, how popular Cambodian culture can be analyzed as a political tool. This book will be based on the research and interviews I conducted in the making of my film and on my experience as an art organizer in Cambodia. The history of popular music in Cambodia is closely tied to social, cultural, and political movements. My book will explore how the political impact of music can be measured. What role does it play in the struggle for political, ideological, and social change? It seems clear that music can strengthen existing activist groups, but can it also change people’s thinking and upset the established order? Music is used not only by social activists, but also by political and moral authorities for propaganda. My book will investigate these various roles of music by both activists and the political establishment. I have completed my fieldwork and data collection and will begin writing my book in 2013.